Once and Always
by Apollorose
Summary: After hundreds of years Arthur returns to the world as he is needed once more.
1. Prologue

A/N: So this is my first Merlin story ever! Yey anyway I want this to be a rather long story and it's going to end up going along with Arthur/Gwen

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin, it belongs to the BBC

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><p>1989 wasn't really a hugely special year, not for those who didn't notice the signs. It has been long foretold that when Arthur Pendragon, once and future king of Camelot, finally returned to Albion his return would be shown through many significant signs. So when two young lovers came together one mid-summer night under the light of a rare blue moon they did not know that their actions had set in motion an important chain of events.<p>

Afterwards when they lay together, tired and satisfied, they thought nothing of the bell tolling in the far off distance or the whispered words for a kings return. They will wake in the morning to a news report telling of the sudden appearance of a large round stone table which appeared to be centuries old yet was not damaged by age.

Nine months down the line, in April 1990, an unwilling mother will give birth in the darkness of day as a seemingly endless eclipse hides the sun from all. Her cries will so be joined by those of her new born son as the first light breaks past the eclipse to shine upon the baby.

The unwilling mother looks at the growing light outside of her window and stops her nurse from leaving.

"You must call him Arthur. His name must be Arthur."

"Miss are you alright?"

"It has to be…I don't know why but it has to be."

Her life leaves her in that moment, leaves her before her son can open his eyes and see hers.

The father refuses the child even more so after he discovers his lovers death so the child is sent off to an orphanage.

"What is his name?"

"The mother wished him to be called Arthur."

"Where is the mother now?"

"She died and the father refused to take the baby."

"We shall use his mothers surname then. What is it?"

"Pindrago."

The aging woman who worked the reception at the orphanage was never one for computers so a simple typo from her withered hands cemented the last event in place.

'Name: Arthur Pendragon'

_When child is conceived on midsummer night_

_The round table shall arise_

_A token of impending Knight_

_A new born baby cries_

_When bell tolls five from nowhere_

_By those who wait a kings return_

_A whispered call flows through the air_

_Brought on by lovers passion burn_

_When Queen rules over land_

_And world is built on steel_

_A blue moon gives night its brand_

_A legend soon made real_

_Eclipse shall kill the breaking dawn_

_The once king will heed its call_

_No light till Avalon child is born_

_Bring with it love and hope for all._

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><p>AN: So there you go, a prologue. What did you think? Did you like the signs? I research a lot for this opening and most of the signs in there are ones that will apparently show the coming of Arthur. So yeah :D Reviews will bring more chapters quicker.


	2. Visions of self

A/N: Ahhhhhh I worked so hard on this damn chapter but it's here it's finally done!

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin...or Arthur no matter how much I wished I did. The bbc owns them...but not the actors so maybe I could...

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><p>"So it started just after your birthday?"<p>

An aging woman leaned forward in her seat as she listened to her patient. His case seemed to be a special one. His condition appeared out of nowhere, starting just after his 21st birthday.

"About three days after yeah."

A blonde man sat opposite her with confusion written across his young face. He wasn't even sure why he was here, no that's wrong his did know he just couldn't believe why he was here. What self respecting 21 year old man would?

"What exactly is it that you see?"

"Me."

Strange right. Visions of himself and they're everywhere. Not all the time but they happen in the most random of places and it was freaking him out. The young man sighed and hid his face in his hands before looking back at the woman and continuing his explanation.

"I see me but not me...I think. Sometimes I'm wearing a crown and chainmail with a red cape flowing behind me. It has a gold dragon on it."

"What does?"

"The cape and sometimes I look older. I'll have a beard and the crown will be different, more important looking, like that of a king."

The woman studied her patient with curious yet doubt filled eyes. Crowns, gold dragons on red capes, chainmail, it all seemed like he had just fallen asleep after watching a film about the medieval times.

"You just finished University did you not?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"What is it that you studied?"

"I studied History. I did my dissertation on Medieval Battle strategy."

"So you're sure this wasn't just a dream you've been having. A way of releasing all that stress you were under why writing your dissertation."

Agitation flickered across the young man's face as the older woman seemingly mocked his problem. She didn't know how it was to be in the middle of a job interview and have yourself staring at you from across the room dressed like a damn knight.

"It wasn't a dream! He...I...It was there in front of me, once while I was shopping for god's sake."

His outburst seemed to ignite more interest from the woman and she eagerly started scribbling down some notes.

"Well then-"

A loud beeping noise cut her off and she put down her notes.

"I'm sorry, our time is up for today. I'll see you next time Arthur."

Arthur walked out onto the busy streets on London no happier than when he went into that therapy session. He wanted confirmation that he wasn't crazy, that what he was seeing was caused by some bad food or whatever. He didn't want there to be no explanation for the fact that every now and then he would see himself dressed like something out of a story book.

As he walked down the street towards where he parked his motorbike he thought back to the first time it had happened.

_Arthur pulled himself out of bed though his body strongly wanted to resist. Moving away from his bed Arthur stumbles across the room to head for the door but as he reaches his floor length mirror a flash of red catches his eye and he freezes. He wasn't wearing red so he was confused about what could possibly have caught his attention._

_Moving slowly Arthur stands himself in front of the mirror and a gasps leaves his lips. His reflection was not that of his hardly dressed self, sporting only the underwear he wore to sleep in. Arthur's reflection stood tall with a noble air about him._

_He was dress in chainmail with a vivid red tunic over it. In the centre of this tunic was the skilfully embroided image of a golden dragon. A cape of the same red covered his shoulders and went so far down it brushed against the floor. On it was the same golden dragon that the tunic sported. Another thing which stood out was the sword placed at his left hip._

_Startled by the unbelievable image in front of his Arthur stumbled backwards with a weak yelp before tripping and landing on the floor. He winced as he hit the floor taking his eyes off of the mirror for a moment. When Arthur finally dared look back he saw only himself looking both shocked and confused._

Arthur slipped his helmet into place as he recalled the last of the experience. He remembered spending hours trying to figure out if the mirror had been altered in anyway. After finding nothing Arthur had come to the conclusion that he had still been half asleep and what he saw was a dream, until he saw it again and again and again.

Starting off down the road Arthur decided that he really just needed somewhere to relax so he set off towards a small cafe he knew was a few streets away.

After parking up he entered the cafe and went to order. He hadn't been in here enough to be recognised and know the staff names but he came often enough to know they served a good cup of coffee and made nice sandwiches.

Just as Arthur had sat down and was about to dig into his sandwich someone entered the cafe and immediately tripped and fell onto Arthur's table causing it to go down with him.

"You absolute idiot!"

Arthur was on his feet in moments, anger very evident on his face. Who was this absolute fool? The young man pulled himself to his feet brushing the pieces of sandwich off of him that had landed on him during the fall. He saw the spilled coffee on the floor and turned to come face to face with a very angry Arthur.

"Um...sorry."

You could almost see the steam coming out of Arthur's ears. The young man in front of him backed up slightly and began apologising;.

"I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to friend. I am sorry."

Arthurs eyes narrow and he folds his arms across his chest.

"Do I know you?"

The young man looked startled before offering Arthur his hand.

"Er...I'm Merlin"

Arthur ignored the hand.

"So I don't know you."

"No."

"Yet, you called me 'friend'."

"That was my mistake."

Merlin began to move towards the counter as one of the workers came over to clean up the spill.

"Yes I think so."

Arthur picked up his helmet not even looking at the woman who was cleaning at his feet. Merlin turned around, there was a smile on his face as though there was something extremely hilarious about the entire exchange.

"Yeah. I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass."

Arthur snorted and moved towards the exit.

"Or I one who could be so stupid."

After he spoke Arthur froze as a sudden wave of Déjà vu hit him. Merlin laughed at the look on Arthurs face.

"What's wrong? Déjà vu?"

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><p>AN: Well :D What do you think? Do you like the end? I thought it was a fun way of the two meeting again. Review and I will write more!


	3. Enter the Warlock

A/N: So the first part of this chapter had been stuck in my head for days but I wasn't even sure how to put it down. Eventually I typed it up and added a little background on what Merlin has been up to. Also I would like to personally thank Lara Smith for writing an awesome review :) Your review really made me want to get this chapter written so you could get more answers and questions lol.

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or Harry Potter (You'll understand when you get to it)

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><p>The last week had certainly not been the best for Arthur. It had started with the unfulfilling therapy session and idiot throwing his own coffee over him and ended with his flatmate deciding to move countries leaving him desperate for a flatmate otherwise he wouldn't be able to afford the rent. No this week had not been a good one and from Arthur's point of view it was about to get worse.<p>

A knock on the door turned Arthur's attention from his laptop to the door. Setting the laptop down on the coffee table in front of him he got up to answer. He opened the door and instantly wished he hadn't.

"You!"

Merlin stood in the hall a smile on his face.

"Hello. Can I come in?"

Arthur didn't answer he just slammed the door shut before Merlin could even get his foot over the threshold. He moved away from the door intending to forget about the annoyance that was Merlin.

"You know...That's not way to treat a potential flatmate."

Arthur paused at Merlin's words before storming back to the door and throwing it open.

"_You_ want to be _my_ flatmate. I don't think so."

Merlin ignored him and walked into the flat.

"Did you not hear what I said Merlin?"

"I heard you I'm just choosing not to answer. Oh and you should close the door."

Arthur was close to knocking the smug little prat out but something told him not to. Closing the door he folded his arms across his chest and watched the intruder of his home.

"What kind of name is Merlin anyway?"

Merlin shrugged and wandered over to the kitchen area.

"What kind of name is Arthur?"

"It's...Wait! How did you know my name?"

"It was on the advertisement."

"Oh."

Arthur sat down and waited for Merlin to stop walking around the flat. Eventually the strange young man sat down on one of the arm chairs with a satisfied smile on his face.

"I like it."

"I already said you aren't moving in."

A large grin appeared on Merlin's face.

"Yeah you see...That's where you're wrong."

Arthur didn't look very impressed by the mind games the almost complete stranger was trying to pull. He wasn't even sure if he would be able to stand staying in the same room with him for very long never mind sharing a flat.

"Really? Because last time I checked I was the current tenant so I had the choice."

"I'll do the chores! I'll do the dishes, cook the food and wash your clothes for you."

Arthur was sceptical, why on earth would someone he hardly knew willingly volunteer to do all the house work just to move in.

"And I can start paying half the rent straight away."

Oh screw it.

"Your room is the one on the left."

Merlin wasn't exactly the most normal person on the planet, even his name screamed abnormal but I guess that's what happens when you're named after the most powerful sorcerer to ever live. Of course he wasn't just named after Merlin, he was Merlin. Every past thought, every feeling, every memory was Merlin.

He hadn't really known what to think when he found out he would one day be reborn far in the future to help Arthur restore the balance between good and evil. It had seemed surreal at the time but with magic anything was possible.

When it did happen and he was reborn he was gifted with all his memories direct from birth so that he could start as soon as possible to find Arthur. It wasn't as simple as Merlin planned though. Finding Arthur was like finding Excalibur in a pile of royal swords, difficult and slightly painful.

Merlin had started looking for his king when he was 18, he would have searched earlier but it seemed his mother had this idea in her head that a 16 year old wizard couldn't handle himself in the big bad world, to which he would usually reply 'have you not read harry potter?'. It also hadn't helped that Arthur had moved from his birth place Glastonbury to London when he turned 18, Glastonbury being the first place Merlin looked.

It may be known as Glastonbury now but back in his first life it was known as the isle of Avalon. Arthur had been sent off to Avalon to die and the prophecy foretold that was where he would be born again. Merlin had been lucky enough to find the children's home Arthur had been put in and they gave him, after much persuasion, the general location in London he was last know to populate.

And so Merlin spend two years of his life living in London working on a way to get himself involved in Arthurs life. Back then it had been easy, he had been given the job of manservant to Arthur so he would always be there when Arthur needed protecting. It wasn't the same anymore. In this century everyone was so much more independent, only the extremely wealthy had servants and even then they didn't have ones that followed them round all day. Merlin concluded that he would need to befriend Arthur if he was to be in his life in anyway but if their past was anything to go on it wasn't going to be easy.

The day he met Arthur again hadn't exactly gone to plan either. Destiny had intervened and Merlin found himself doing a double take as he past a small cafe just off of Bond Street. There in the cafe at the counter Arthur. Over taken by excitement that finally after all these years they were going to meet again Merlin practically ran into the cafe.

He had intended to saunter in casually, order a tea and maybe sit on the next table until the opportunity to speak to Arthur arose. That's not what happened though. What happened was he was his normal typical self and messed everything up but somehow it seemed to work out alright. The sense of déjà vu Arthur received meant Merlin had put him on the right track towards defeating the coming evil, something he wouldn't be able to do without all his memories.

Fate intervened again when he saw in the paper a few days later a room to rent and the person of contact and current tenant was Arthur Pendragon.

"Oh this is going to annoy him."

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><p>AN: So what do you think? Review please.

Also the whole Glastonbury/Avalon thing is 100% true that is where Avalon was and still is :)


	4. Land Goodbye, Second Hello

A/N: I wrote this chapter while listening to the Doctor Who series 5 soundtrack. I think you can notice cause its all nostalgic and stuff lol.

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin

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><p>"<em>How are the visions?"<em>

"_They come and go."_

"_Has anything else been happening?"_

"_I keep dreaming of a woman."_

"_What does she look like?"_

"_She's beautiful...At least I think she is. I can never remember her face when I wake up."_

"_Do you remember anything at all?"_

"_She's a queen I know that or she will be. Sometimes she's my queen sometimes a maidservant."_

"_Your queen?"_

"_Yeah my queen."_

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><p>"<strong>The unexplainable drought in Wales continues into its third week. Officials say there were no warning signs that this natural disaster would occur but are doing their best to try and help out."<strong>

Arthur lounged lazily on the sofa in front of the television watching the late night news. Merlin was pottering around in the kitchen cleaning up what they had earlier used for dinner. It had been a few weeks since Merlin had moved in and though at times Arthur wanted nothing more than to kill his flatmate he wasn't actually that bad to live with.

"**Surprisingly weather reports show of an incoming storm which is due to hit the south of England in the coming hours. Let's hope that the storm makes its way over to Wales and gives the residents here an end to their discomfort."**

"This is just weird. I've heard of drought before but never one popping up out of nowhere, especially when it seems to only be a certain area of Wales that is affected."

Merlin looked up from the sink to see Arthur staring intently at the Television screen. He studied the expression on Arthur's face which looked as though he was trying to remember something. Merlin wondered if Arthur recognised the place from his past life as it was where he fought his last battle.

"Camlan...That name rings a bell. I don't think I've ever been there though."

Arthur looked behind him at Merlin.

"Have you ever been?"

"Yeah actually, years ago though. Seems like a life time ago..."

Merlin moved towards the sofa and sat on the arm of the chair.

"You know...they say a fierce battle was fought at Camlan. A battle that ended a great and powerful kingdom."

"I didn't know that...which is weird because I did history in university and I studied medieval battles a lot."

"People question whether this one happened or not."

Merlin could remember the battle like it had happened yesterday. Arthur was a broken man even before the fighting had started having learned of his wife's betrayal. Lancelot had been banished leaving him down one of his best knights. His strength and will to win had left him causing their loss to be cemented before the first swords had met.

Merlin himself had also died that day. Legend would suggest that he was lured away from the battle by a returned Nimue and that she sealed him in a tomb which could never be opened, leaving him to die. This wasn't the case. In truth, what had happened was he had gone to face Morgana alone while Arthur faced Mordred on the battle field.

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><p>"<em>So Emrys the time has finally arrived."<em>

_Morgana stood on the edge of a small cliff above the battle. Her long hair swayed in the slight breeze. She was still beautiful even if age had attached itself to her as it had the rest of them._

"_To think I could have stopped this from happening all those years ago when you were Uthur's ward. I couldn't do it though, i saw nothing of the evil you would become and therefore saw no reason for your death. How wrong I was."_

_Merlin walked up to her looking every bit the wizard he will be remembered as, gone was the boy who once gave Morgana flowers when she was feeling unwell, he who stood infront of her was a feared and respected sorcerer._

"_It had to end like this Merlin and you know that. I needed to be here just as much as Mordred and Arthur did. We have both seen enough of the future to know he has done what he was destined to do and now he needs to leave this world until he is needed again."_

_Her voice was bitter even though her victory was secured._

"_And we have both fought against each other enough times to know if one of us dies so does the other."_

_Merlin turned away from her and watched the battle below. He knew where Arthur was, right in the centre of it all as usual. He knew this would be the last day Arthur lived and that scared him more than anything._

"_So how are we going to do this?"_

_Merlin's voice was quiet and hesitant. Morgana walked to the edge of the cliff also looking out at the battle._

"_Both Mordred and Arthur will die today but only one on the battle field. Just before Mordred dies he will hit Arthur with a fatal blow. The blow will not kill him for some hours, that is when you should bring him to the waters of Avalon."_

"_Why are you doing this Morgana?"_

"_It is my destiny. I am to seal Arthur in his tomb then and only then can I die by your hand."_

_There was silence between them as they watched the carnage below. Despite being enemies Morgana and Merlin had always held an understanding for one another and they respected each other's destinies._

"_I can only hope if we meet again there will not be so much hate between us."_

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><p>"Merlin?"<p>

Merlin looked up to see not Morgana but Arthur waving his hands in front of his face.

"You spaced out for a moment then. You alright?"

Merlin rubbed his eyes and looked at the floor.

"Yeah, just tired. I think I'll head off to bed."

Arthur nodded and watched the young man walk away.

"Okay but remember we have to be up early tomorrow. I have recruit training and you're helping your friend out or something."

"Oh right yeah she's expecting me at 9"

Arthur got up and turned the Television off.

"Am I ever going to know who this person is?"

Merlin smiled and walked into his room.

"Not yet. You aren't ready yet."

Not really understanding Arthur shrugged and walk to his own room hoping for a dreamless sleep to get him through the night.

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><p><em><strong>Arthur found himself standing in a stone corridor listening to the sound of footsteps. He watched the archway at the end of the corridor for movement. Eventually a figure stepped into view but they were too far away for him to see who it was. It was a woman, he could see that. She wore a royal blue dress that seemed to fit her perfectly. Upon her head was a crown giving away her title instantly.<strong>_

_**Arthur stepped towards her so he could see her face but as he did she stepped back.**_

"_**Wait! It's okay no one will see us."**_

_**Not understanding why such words would come out of his mouth he ignored them and continued to move forward towards the shadowed queen. As soon as he was close enough to her she disappeared round the corner and broke into a run. Moving quickly he picked up his pace and followed her down the seemingly never ending hall. After what seemed like an eternity he finally caught up to her and spun her round to face him.**_

_**His heart faltered as he looked upon her face. The beauty of the woman was heart wrenching. She smiled and as she did so the royal clothes she wore melted away and were replaced by the plain over used work clothes of a servant. Arthur saw no difference though, all he could see was the love in the woman's eyes. Reaching up he cupped her cheek and smiled when she leaned into his touch. Her hand found its way over his before interlocking their fingers and pulling his hand away. She moved him towards a doorway. **_

_**Opening the door he found himself in his bedroom, music system, tv and all. The woman moved him to the bed and sat him down. Once he was say she took Arthur's face in her hands and kissed his forehead and cheeks. Arthur relished in the familiarity of her touch and reached to bring her closer. She moved away from his touch shaking her head.**_

"_**Not yet. I'll be there soon Arthur, just wait for me okay."**_

_**And with a kiss on his waiting lips she was gone.**_

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><p>Arthur sprang from his bed as a rumble of thunder shook the flat, a half formed word on his lips. As he sat there trying to calm himself he listened to the quiet of the flat and that's when he heard it, movement in the living room.<p>

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><p>AN: Well what do you think? I'm really trying to be smart with this story so I'm taking things as slow as I can get away with. Anyway Review please


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